


Glitter Bomb

by MannerismOdd



Category: inFAMOUS: Second Son
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, GenderNeutral!Reader, Techie!Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8130394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MannerismOdd/pseuds/MannerismOdd
Summary: You are working at the theater, trying to get the set done before the musical when a cute street artist comes in to help with the art. You meet awkwardly involving a plank of wood, a bucket, and an unholy amount of glitter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this is good - I don't really know. I wrote this when I was tired and I had a major headache.

“Here you go,” your friend, Rae, said, passing a large bucket to you.

You looked inside, seeing an unholy amount of glitter within it, filled almost up to the brim.

You looked up, confused. “What is this for?”

Rae glanced back at you. “For the set, obviously!” she laughed before throwing a glance up at the clock. An odd look crossed her face. “Could you take care of that? I have to go now!” Quickly, she rushed out the door, throwing out an easy, “Thanks!” before she was gone.

“But what is it for?” you cried out, distressed.

No answer.

“What am I going to do with you?” you murmured quietly, regarding the glitter.

You spent a good thirty minutes wandering around, asking your co-workers if they had any clue as to what you were supposed to do with it. So far, nobody knew.

It got to the point where you simply gave up on asking and you just stopped to stare at the people drilling planks of wood together to create tables, chairs, walls, lockers… and that was the most boring thing of them all.

You huffed out a loud sigh, turning back on your heel quickly. Unbeknownst to you, somebody had left a long plank of wood behind you. You were taken by surprise as you tripped over it. Unfortunately, this happened to be the time that a young man was walking behind you as well.

You cried out as you lost your grip on the bucket. Almost in slow-motion, you watched the glitter decorate the man’s hoodie.

“Oh my gosh!” you exclaimed, horrified mostly because you had been dragging the inordinate amount of glitter for half an hour and, dammit, you wanted to know its purpose. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…!

The young man spluttered in alarm. He spit out an alarming mass of glitter from his mouth.

You began to try to brush off the glitter from his jacket. However, you knew it was helpless - once you had glitter all over yourself, you’d be finding it in random places for weeks. Like the time you had found it in your underpants two weeks after using it. You shivered at the memory.

Now that you were closer (and there wasn’t a cloud of glitter hiding his face), you got a good look at him. He had dark brown eyes, black hair, tan skin, high cheekbones, and multiple layers, showing you that he had a clear Native American ancestry.

You found you couldn’t say anything, at least not in understandable sentences. You were generally one that found themselves tongue-tied around attractive people. “I, uh… I accidentally - I mean, I - er - l-let me h-help you - ohgollythat’salotofglitter.” This comment came from you right after dragging your hand over his shoulder, resulting in a waterfall of glitter cascading to the floor.

The man looked slightly amused, simply watching your hands flutter over his shoulders. “Got a little excited to see me, huh?”

Your already red cheeks flushed deeper. “I-i - no, I don’t-”

“Heya there, Big D!” a voice called from behind you.

You froze, recognizing the voice. It belonged to Abigail Walker, more commonly known as Fetch. Well, even if you had just met the man, any small chance you had with him had just been obliterated, burnt to a crisp, stomped on multiple times, then burnt once again.

Now, you didn’t hate Fetch - in fact, the two of you barely talked. But she was so damn beautiful - full pink lips, brightly colored hair (you still couldn’t decide whether it was pink or purple), a loud personality, and an easy style that she somehow managed to look perfect in. Currently, she was helping with the lights for the musical. Apparently, she was a Conduit with an ability that involved neon, which was rather helpful with the production.

The man - Delsin - brushed past you lightly. “Yeah, let’s not call me that. Nice to see you.”

Fetch smirked, looking up at him. “Now why would I do that?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Delsin responded easily.

“Ah, now what d’you know about the _right thing_?”

Delsin fell back, holding his hands over his heart, pretending like he’d just gotten shot. “Argh! That bites, Fetch.”  
  


Fetch chuckled, before looking over Delsin once again. Her expression shifted to one of confusion. “So... why’re ya covered in glitter?” Her gaze traveled over him before she saw you standing behind him, the offending bucket of glitter in your hands and laughed. “I see. You ran into our neighborhood klutz!”

You cringed at the words. You typically didn’t think of yourself as extremely clumsy - at least, not so clumsy that it was your defining trait.

Delsin glanced quickly back at you with an odd expression on his face. You blushed deeply.

“I-i’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to make such a mess.”

“Sir?” Delsin started to laugh. “Oh man, I don’t think I’ve ever had anybody call me _sir_  before!” He calmed down a bit. “Delsin’s fine.”

You stared at him, amazed by how adorable his laugh sounded. “Y-yeah...”

“Anyway, what’s your name?”

“(Y/N).”

Fetch had been watching quietly, with an annoyed expression on her face until now. “Well, this has been a fascinating conversation to watch. But don’t we need to talk to the art director, Delsin?”

He looked back at Fetch, confused. “I mean, I guess. But why’re you so impatient? Didn’t you say th-”

“He’s been waiting for us for the past three minutes. Why else would I get you?”

You glanced back at where the art director stood, tapping his foot impatiently for the two to go join him. You felt your heart sink a little. Delsin may have been way out of your league, but you wouldn’t have been adverse to talking with him for a little longer.

“Huh. Three minutes? Really? Well, I’ll see you later, (Y/N).” He gave you a little wave before jogging off to go meet up with the art director.

Was he really working on the set now? Why hadn’t you met him earlier then? After all, you had been working on the production since the beginning.

As it turned out, Delsin was a street artist. The set needed an environment similar to that of a street in the city. Fetch had put in a good word for her friend and lo and behold, you met Delsin Rowe.

He only came to the theater three times, save for your first meeting.  You had kept your distance, taking a hint that may not have even been there in the first place, but you weren’t about to take your chances. Fetch was scary when she was angry, and if your suspicions were correct, then you’d be in big trouble.

All too soon, the production’s opening night was upon you.You shouldn’t have been so nervous, but you were still freaked that you would end up putting a piece of the set in the wrong place or you would lose a prop crucial to the show.

Of course, you managed to drop a chair with a loud crash during the _quietest freaking transition in the entire show_ , but you could deal with that. After all, it was only the first night. No matter how many times the crew practiced, there were bound to be multiple mistakes on the opening night. 

On the last night, you found yourself staring at Delsin’s artwork on one of the set pieces, just in absolute awe. You couldn’t believe that you hadn’t gotten a good look at it until now. Your excuse had been that Fetch would immediately attack you for looking twice at her man, but you knew that that was a ridiculous reason. Fetch wasn’t that petty - you were just overreacting.

Fishing your phone from your pocket, you flashed a picture of the spray paint, knowing that after the show, you would have to scrap it. You didn’t know exactly how you’d do it - destroying the artwork felt like you would be destroying a piece of the artist’s soul.

The show went almost perfectly - if it hadn’t been for your damn headset malfunctioning, your cue would have been perfect. But the audience didn’t seem to care. They went wild after each musical number, after each scene. In the end, there was a good ten minutes of clapping. Just a whole ten minutes - you didn’t know where people found the strength to keep clapping for that long.

You poked your head out from stage left, checking to see if there were any stragglers in the auditorium. Once you confirmed that there was nobody left, you set to sweeping the stage for the last time. 

You had been lost in your thoughts when you heard somebody clear their throat.

“ARGH!” you exclaimed, leaping a good distance from your original placement. You turned around to see Delsin Rowe smirking, holding a bundle of flowers in his hand.

“Bravo. You did a fantastic job, (Y/N),” he said.

You just stared at him. “Wha- I mean, the actors are backstage. A-and, so is Fetch. If that’s who you’re looking for.”

Delsin glanced backstage. “That way?” he asked, pointing to the opening in the side of the stage.

“Where else would it be?” You paused, trying to decide whether or not you should ask the question perched on the tip of your tongue. When he made his way for backstage, you blurted, “Hey, how’d you remember my name?”

He chuckled, turning around. “One doesn’t really forget the person who dumped a good ten thousand pounds of glitter all over them, now do they?” There was a mirthful sparkle in his eyes.

You blushed. “That was an _accident_.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”

“Stop it!” you wailed, blushing an even deeper red.

Delsin laughed. “Anyway, I gotta go - Fetch is waiting for me.” He regarded the flowers in his hand, shaking his head slightly. “I bet her that she wouldn’t stay through until the end of the play - it’s not really her thing, y’know? But now -” he heaved a dramatic sigh that fit perfectly in with his surroundings - “I owe her flowers and an after show gift.” He grimaced playfully, then disappeared into the darkness.

You tried to bite down the jealousy that rose in your stomach. Delsin had known Fetch for longer - it was no wonder he’d prefer her. He’d met you twice now, the first time involving an unholy amount of glitter.

So why were you getting so worked up?

***

You doodled something in the margins of your homework for a college course you were taking - you just couldn’t be bothered with actually making up your homework, which you had apparently lost recently. You were preoccupied, trying to sort through your feelings about the boy you had met a grand total of four times.

 _Love at first sight is not a real thing, love at first sight is not a real thing_ , was what you repeated in your head for the past hour. 

You threw your pencil down in disgust, sick of overthinking the subject. You decided that you just needed to go out for a walk or something.

A glance outside told you that you needed to take a jacket with you - it was one of those drizzly days that made Seattle famous. 

You pulled on your favorite hoodie, then left your dorm.

You inhaled the air deeply, soaking in the scent of rain. You loved how clean the rain made the air smell - it made it feel like the world was, in an odd sense, _renewed_.

“Well, if it isn’t the little techie,” came a familiar voice.

You whipped around with a small yelp. Looking at Delsin, you breathed out an irritated sigh. “Do you _really_ need to scare the hell out of me every time you see me?”

Delsin smirked. “Absolutely. Watching you tense up like a little kitten makes it worth it.”

“You’re so mean to me,” you laughed lightly, shaking your head.

“Am I? We’ve only talked three times - and you dumped glitter on me the first time we met. I feel like I have a reason to get my revenge through making you uncomfortable.”

You glanced back at your dorm, suddenly realizing where you were.

“Wait, how’d you know I lived here?”

Delsin actually looked a little bit ashamed. Not much, but there was enough for you to see.

“You dropped some of your work while at the set during one of the times I was visiting. I asked around and your friend - May? Rae? - said that you were a college student. I forgot to return it to you, so I’m here.”

You stared at what he was holding out to you. It was your homework that you had lost.

“Oh my gosh, Delsin!” you exclaimed happily. “Thank you so much! I was going to have to redo _everything_.” You gave him a tight hug, noting randomly that he was rather warm, considering the weather.

“Whoa there, excited much?”

Your eyes snapped open as you realized you were in a tight embrace with him. You pushed him away and stumbled back slightly, blushing deeply. 

“I-i’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... I mean, I am sorry if I overstepped my boundaries.”

Delsin shrugged. “You were overwhelmed with your extreme and undying gratitude towards me. It’s an understandable response.”

“Oh, just shut up,” you muttered, not meaning a word of it. 

“No way. I love annoying you.” He tilted his head. “Hey, want to go get some coffee? Something to warm you up? It’s a little chilly out.”

You scoffed, but you were feeling ridiculously happy with the invitation. He had not only returned your homework, but he was thinking of taking you out on a date.

_No, stop (Y/N). You don’t know if it’s a date. He could just be offering it to you as a sign of peace, saying he forgives you for dumping the glitter on him._

“You know what?” you finally responded after pretending to think your answer over. “Why not? It’s not like I have anything important to do.” You gave a pointed look to the homework in your hand.

Delsin gave you a lopsided grin. “Maybe afterwards we could go to a museum.”

You gave him an odd look. “Are you _trying_  to flirt with me?”

He gave you a confused look. “Why not? You’re a pretty cute person.”

A warmth flushed through your cheeks. “W-well, I thought that you and Fetch were a thing, so I just kinda kept my distance. I didn’t want to get caught in her territory.” The blush disappeared and was replaced by a deathly pallor. “She’s freaking scary when she wants to be.”

Delsin’s response was probably the purest laugh you had ever heard in your life. “Yeah, I can see where you get that idea. And, yeah, she can be pretty damn scary. But she’s really more of a little sister to me.”

You didn’t say anything, but you were thinking about how Fetch dragged him off during your first conversation. It really was something similar to that of what a younger sibling would do. It was like when your mom saw a friend at the grocery store - she probably wanted to get going. She seemed like an impatient person.

“Oh,” was all you said. “Then I guess I can go on that date without feeling guilty.”

You took Delsin’s hand.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get to know the real Delsin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kinda... snowballed, I guess. I was asked to do a part two, so here it is! I, uh, hope it's good.

“I never really nailed you as a museum guy,” you teased as you walked alongside Delsin.

He chuckled. “Hey, it’s an art museum at least.”

You tilted your head. “I still wouldn’t have guessed.”

“Yeah, well, my brother forced me to go to museums. He thought it would get me to use my artistic abilities in more legal ways. He totally failed, but I still like looking at the art.”

You glanced at him, surprised. “You have a brother?”

You couldn’t be sure, but Delsin suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“Hey, look at that picture. The lighting really brings the, uh, green out,” Delsin suddenly said, obviously avoiding the subject.

“Delsin, that’s a black-and-white photograph.”

A light blush covered his cheeks. “Well, yeah. But it’s obviously a tree - you can just tell that it’s green.”

Pursing your lips, you watched him with concern. You wondered what had happened with his brother to cause him to be so uncomfortable. Instead, you responded with a, “Makes sense.”

The two of you wandered around in a companionable quiet. You were mentally kicking yourself about that comment about his brother earlier. You wished you hadn’t reminded Delsin of unhappy memories. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take your insensitive remark badly. You wanted to keep in contact with him - he wasn’t a bad person, nor a bad- _looking_  person.

The trip (date??? Would this be considered as a date???) soon ended. After the beginning, the conversation the two of you had seemed... _stilted_. Less comfortable. 

You sighed as you walked back to your dorm. Delsin had to duck out as soon as your museum trip came to a close. He had said something about his friends, but a small part of you kept on thinking that he had left because he didn’t want to spend any more time with you. You knew it was ridiculous - he had asked you on the freaking date in the first place! - but there it was.

You were jolted from your thoughts as somebody grabbed at your arm and dragged you into an alleyway.

“Argh!” you cried, trying to fight whoever was holding you captive. It was a pretty ineffective struggle however - and the person who had a death grip on your arm seemed to think so too.

“Is that supposed to scare me off?” you heard a voice ask.

Your eyes snapped open. You knew that voice.

“ _Fetch?”_ you exclaimed, gaping at her. “What’re you doing here? No, wait, I have a better question - why are dragging me into a shady-looking alleyway? I could’ve hurt you!”

Fetch gave you an unimpressed look. “I’m sure you were,” she muttered, giving you a look that made you feel like you were gum stuck on the bottom of her shoe.

“What do you want?” You were curious - why did she have to drag you back here, like the two of you were going to have a shady drug deal?

“You and Delsin went on a date recently, right?”

_Where was she going with this?_

“Yeah.” You gave her an odd look. “Why?”

Fetch frowned at you. She looked almost angry. But didn’t Delsin just say that she was just like his younger sister? Maybe she was more of a protective older sister.

“Listen, (Y/N),” Fetch growled dangerously, “don’t hurt him. Because if you do...” A pink light filled the hand on your arm, growing hotter and hotter until it burned you.

You cried out in pain, jerking back. You held the injury, staring at Fetch in shock. 

“See ya!” Fetch said, a cold smile filling her face as she stalked past you.

***

You ran your arm underneath cold water, soothing the irritated skin. What had you done that made Fetch so angry at you?

“Protective older sister,” you scoffed. “Yeah right. I might want to add _psychotic_  to that description.” You paused. “No, don’t say that, (Y/N). I’m sure she had her reasons.”

You stared down at your arm, tired from the events of the day. You just wanted to rest. 

***

You woke up to a light knocking at your door. You sat up before you held a hand to your head as a wave of dizziness swam through you.

“Jeez, I’m lucky my roomate is out of town,” you muttered as you made your way to the door.

You threw the door open, squinting at the sudden brightness that flooded into your room. You held your hand in front of your eyes, then you saw Delsin, standing in the doorway.

You jumped back, on high alert. You didn’t want Fetch burning you again.

“I, uh, h-hey Delsin.” You cringed at how awkward you sounded. “Erm, why are you here?”

Delsin laughed. “You dropped this.” He held out a small bauble that was normally on your keychain.

“Oh, yikes. I’m sorry - I’m normally not that forgetful, I swear.” You rubbed the back of your neck awkwardly. It was true - you were normally very good about keeping things in their normal places. But ever since you had met Delsin, you were leaving things in the most random of areas.

“It’s okay. People lose things all the time.”

_Not me_ , you thought, frustrated at the fact that Delsin had left you so starstruck that you would leave things behind.

“Since I’m here, do you want to head out? Go for a walk?” Delsin asked. He wasn’t even being subtle at this point.

“We went out yesterday!” you laughed. Delsin’s blatant flirting almost made you forget the problems you had had with Fetch the day before. It almost made you forget that you had offended Delsin.

Delsin smirked, leaning against the doorframe. “Maybe.” You saw some vulnerable expression flit through his face, then it was gone. “I want to explain my behavior from yesterday. I got really cold, and you didn’t deserve that.”

You blinked in surprise. He was apologizing? Once again, Delsin had surprised you. He had so many facets that you were never expecting.

“Yeah,” you found yourself saying, “just give me a sec.”

You ducked into the bathroom, throwing a glace at yourself in the mirror. You cursed at your appearance - you would need a shower.

You poked your head back out again. “Um... You can come in. I’m going to take a bit longer than I originally thought.”

Delsin gave you an odd look before entering your dorm.

“Just chill out. I’ll try to be out soon,” you called over your shoulder, before disappearing into the bathroom.

You took your shower in record-breaking time.

You stumbled into your room. Delsin was sprawled on your bed, staring at the posters for the multiple plays you had helped with in the past.

Delsin lazily glanced at you over his shoulder. “You’ve been doing this for a while, haven’t you?”

You quickly smoothed your hair back even though you had just brushed it. “Yeah. Since seventh grade, actually. Back then, it was only two musicals a year, but it was still a lot of work.” You looked down at your feet, embarrassed. You sounded like such a _nerd_.

“Oh.” Delsin looked back at the posters. “That’s a long time.”

There was a long, awkward silence. 

“So, uh, ready to go?” you asked. You were actually really looking forward to Delsin’s explanation.

***

Delsin sat at the steering wheel, staring at the cloud-choked sky.

“Er, could you explain why we’re out in the middle of nowhere?” you finally said, breaking the silence. “Because I’m starting to think that you just brought me out here to kill me.”

He laughed, but it sounded vaguely bitter. “I’m sorry.” He leaned back into his seat, searching for the proper words. “Oh boy, Where do I even start?” He put his head into his hands.

“Just... let it out. From the beginning.”

He shifted so he was facing you. “All right. So you know that whole Conduit thing a couple of months ago?”

As Delsin elaborated on his story, you stared at him in surprise. Delsin was a Conduit? You hadn’t really kept up to date on that entire week - there was way too much happening. Now, however, you wish you had. You would have known almost everything Delsin was telling you now.

“At the end of that whole thing with Augustine, my brother died,” he finally finished. “That musical was the first time I had left home and come back down here.” Delsin said it matter-of-factly, but you could see the pain in his eyes.

“Delsin,” you murmured, reaching for his hand. However, the sleeve of your hoodie slipped down, showing the angry red mark left by Fetch.

Delsin grabbed your hand, turning your arm so he could see the burn better. “What’s this from?” he asked, a dangerous undertone to his voice.” _Who_ did this?” It was like he had forgotten all of his own problems. He was probably trying to stuff them down by worrying over you.

Gently, you pulled your arm from his grasp, brushing your sleeves back over it. “I accidentally burned myself last night while making my dinner,” you lied. You didn’t agree with how Fetch dealt with you, but you didn’t want to ruin their relationship.

Delsin narrowed his eyes, searching your face. “You’re lying,” he decided. “Tell me, (Y/N). Who hurt you?”

“Nobody!” you exclaimed, voice going high as you lied once again.

“(Y/N)!”

“No, Delsin. I don’t want you to get mad at -” you cut yourself off. You didn’t want to give him too many hints.

“So it was somebody I know.” This wasn’t a question. “Was it Fetch? Eugene?”

You flinched slightly at the mention of Fetch. You were being ridiculous, but hey, you weren’t exactly a good liar.

A cold look filled Delsin’s face. “Fetch,” he growled. “Why would she..? Never mind.”

***

You frowned, staring out your dorm window. After Delsin had dropped you off back at your dorm, he rushed off, presumably to confront Fetch. You felt bad that you set Delsin on her tail. Now she was going to hate you even more.

Once again, there was a knocking at the door. 

You glanced at the door. 

_Three guesses who that is_ , you thought idly.

Once again, Delsin stood in the doorway, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry about Fetch.” He pulled you into a warm hug. “She won’t hurt you again, okay? I spoke to her about it.”

“Thank you, Delsin,” you whispered into his jacket.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delsin finally introduces you to the tribe... and his dead brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm not dead. I'm just slow. But to make up for it, I wrote this chapter a little longer than the other ones. Like, twice as long as the other ones.

Delsin absentmindedly tapped a rhythm on the table as he stared out the window, his thoughts somewhere else other than the date the two of you were on. It had been a couple weeks since the whole Fetch debacle and now you were dating.

“Delsin?” you asked, worried. His behavior had become rather similar to this recently. You were getting a little scared by how often he would slip into his own mind, by how he became numb to the rest of the world. “Are you okay?”

“Mmhmm,” he grunted in response. His hand moved to yours.

You frowned down at his hand atop of yours. “You certain about that?” you inquired skeptically.

Delsin startled out of his stupor, turning to you. “What’d you say, (Y/N)?”

You blinked. This wasn’t new, of course, but it was still rather annoying. You huffed out an irritated sigh. “I was asking you if you were okay,” you reminded him.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” He planted a kiss on your forehead. 

“Delsin...” You gave him a look that was a mixture of pity and annoyance. “Just tell me, dammit.”

He continued to stare down at the table between the two of you. 

You followed his gaze down, then pursed your lips. “Whachya looking at, bud? Your tattoo?” You yourself often found yourself staring at it as well. You found it mesmerizing seeing as you had never gotten one so large or colorful. Or one at all.

Delsin chuckled. “Yeah, sure.” He sat back up, his eyes meeting yours. You could see they were slightly misty, like he was about to cry. 

“Delsin!” you exclaimed, leaning forward in concern. You cupped his cheek as his dark brown eyes flicked over your face. “Please, Delsin... be honest with me. What’s going on?”

He gently pried your hand from his face and lightly kissed it. “You really want to know?” he questioned.

“Of course I do! Why else would I ask?”

He laughed at that. “Stupid question, I guess.” The smile slowly faded from his face. “You know how I was talking about Re- my brother?”

You tilted your head at his words. True, the two of you hadn’t been dating for that long, but you found it odd that Delsin’s slip-up just barely was the closest you’d gotten to learning his brother’s name.

“Yes, I do remember you mentioning him,” you affirmed. 

“Well, uh, it’s...” Delsin paused, taking a deep breath. It looked like he was actively trying to fight back tears. He tried again. “It’s been a year since he died - a year exactly in four days.”

Suddenly, his behavior for the past days made a lot more sense.

“I... I don’t want to say ‘I’m sorry’ because that’s what everybody says, but... damn it Delsin, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I was, I don’t know, scared?” Even he didn’t look too certain when he said that. “I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. I, um, really wanted to visit his grave, but I was nervous that you’d think that that was creepy.”

“What? Why would I find that creepy? You’re mourning. It’s completely normal to want to go visit his grave.” _I also kinda want to know his name,_  you added silently.

“Are you sure you’d be willing to take the trip up to the preserve? It’s like two hours from here.”

You shrugged. “As opposed to multiple other trips I’ve been on, it’s not that long.”

Your boyfriend looked like he was blinking back tears again. He gave a brief chuckle. “I didn’t realize we were at the road trip stage of the relationship. You know what comes next,” he teased halfheartedly.

“Oh, bless your little heart,” you whispered. “You’re still trying to pull off something witty when we’ve already established that you don’t have any.”

Delsin’s jaw dropped as the sadness in his face diminished. “Okay, _rude_. And I thought _you_ were the one with no wit!”

“No, we agreed on you being the stupider one in this relationship.”

Delsin shook his head. “That’s a lie,” he stated simply.

“Sure it is.” You leaned back in your seat, peering at him through your eyelashes. “Sure it is.”

***

The rumble of the car eventually lulled you to sleep. Well, that coupled with Delsin softly singing some stupid songs on the radio. He was a surprisingly good singer.

But now you had arrived at the place of Delsin’s birth. You shivered slightly at the thought - he had _grown up_  here. In one place. In a place that was really small.

You didn’t know if you could do that. Not saying that you had moved an excessive amount of times in your childhood, but you had moved enough to think that staying in one place for longer than seven years was weird.

“This is cozy,” you murmured. You were still groggy from your unplanned nap, not to mention you had a dull headache pulsing at your temples.

“You think it’s painfully small. Don’t try to lie,” Delsin laughed.

You nodded. “You would be correct.”

“We’ll be in and out, I promise.”

You scoffed, pulling your backpack from the backseat. “You’re such a hypocrite.”

“Maybe a little bit.” Delsin gave you a sweet smile, followed closely by one of his patented forehead kisses.

You found you couldn’t respond to that in any other way than a contented giggle.

“Anyway,” Delsin said, turning his attention back on the lodge, “you want to meet my tribe?”

You felt a knot of anxiety suddenly form in your stomach. You pushed closer to Delsin as your nervousness grew. 

“What if they don’t like me?” you asked in a quiet voice.

Delsin snorted. “(Y/N), _honestly_ , if they can put up with me, they’re going to _love_  you.”

“I mean, I’m not going to argue with that.”

You walked into the lodge with Delsin. Even though he assured you that everybody would love you, you still hid behind him.

Delsin peered around the corner like he was looking for someone in particular. Suddenly, you felt a sharp pang in your chest as you thought of something. 

_What if Delsin dated somebody else here? What if he still likes them? What if he sees them and then hates me?_  You tried to bite down on the thoughts. After all, it wouldn’t make this trip any more enjoyable than it already was, what with Delsin going to visit his brother’s grave and all. You just wanted to make it as bearable as possible for him.

“Ah, there she is,” Delsin muttered, quickly grabbing your hand and dragging you into the room.

“Whoa, wait, who?” you demanded as you followed helplessly behind your boyfriend.

“Hey Betty!” Delsin called, ignoring your question.

“Who the hell is Betty?” you hissed.

An elderly woman with dark gray hair entered into your line of sight.

“Oh,” you said simply, feeling embarrassed.

“Delsin!” the woman - Betty - exclaimed, rushing in for a hug. “I haven’t seen in a while! Not for a good couple months at the very least.” She said this with a teasing tone. It hinted that she and Delsin had a relationship similar to that of a grandmother and grandson.

You giggled lightly as the two of them began to banter back and forth. It made you wish that your grandparents were still alive.

However, the sound of your voice put an end to their easy conversation.

“Oh! Delsin, who’s this? How dare you not introduce me to this young thing?” Betty said jokingly.

Delsin snorted. “Yeah, okay, okay.” He backed up, holding his hands up in surrender. “This is (Y/N). My, uh -” he gave you a shy look - “my significant other.”

You placed a hand over your heart. “Aw, that’s so sweet. Except for one thing - how come I’ve never heard about this?”

Delsin laughed as he placed an arm around you.

“Nice to meet you, (Y/N),” Betty said, nodding towards you and smiling. Then she shifted her attention back to Delsin. “And don’t think I don’t know why you’re here. But why did you bring them?” She looked concerned.

He looked like was floundering, so you stepped in.

“I’m fine, really. I’ll just hang out here while he -”

“No, no,” Delsin murmured quietly. “I-i think you should meet him. Or his grave more accurately.”

You were confused, but Delsin was already leading you somewhere else.

***

“Forgive me if this is insensitive, but why do you have a graveyard this close to the lodge?”

Delsin snorted. “I actually have no clue. That was a question I asked often as a kid. You’re not the only one.”

You watched him carefully. You were glad that you got him to laugh, but you still weren’t certain about how he really felt. Delsin had gotten really good at pretending he was feeling all right.

Soon you got his answer as Delsin stopped in front of a gravestone that read ‘Reginald Rowe’ on it. A sad smile spread across his face.

“Hello, Reggie,” he whispered, tears misting up his eyes. “Haven’t talked to you in a while. I missed you man.”

“Reggie,” you repeated, almost silently. _So that’s your name._

Delsin tried to wipe the tears from his eyes as he gave a watery laugh. “But enough about me. You haven’t met (Y/N) yet.” He looked up and waved you over. 

You walked over. Kneeling next to Delsin, you greeted Reggie’s tombstone. “Hello, Reggie. I hear so much about you - typically how you would force Delsin to go to art museums, but that makes you an awesome guy in my book.”

That statement pulled a light laugh from Delsin. His hand searched for yours. You could feel the heat coming from him - a perk from his Conduit status. 

You leaned into him, stealing his warmth. It was a cold and overcast day, so it felt nice.

“That’s right. You know Reggie, (Y/N) is the best person I’ve ever met - probably the most talented too. I will say that they’re a bit of a goody-two shoes, but I love them anyway.”

You rolled your eyes.

There was a long silence as the two of you as you sat there, head on Delsin’s shoulder, Delsin softly breathing in and out. It was only until you felt the warm tear hit your head did you realize Delsin was still crying.

“Delsin...”

“I’m fine, (Y/N), really.” He dropped his head so that he was looking you in the eye. “I’m just glad... I’m glad that you came with me to his grave. You know, his body’s not even here.”

You shot him a questioning glance. 

“Don’t make that face. Let me explain. He fell into the water - it was so far down and he was encased in concrete... he - aw man, I don’t want to cry right now. That’s not making this story any easier.”

You looked into his red-rimmed eyes. “Delsin,” you whispered. You cupped his face in your hands and kissed his tears. “You don’t have to tell me this - not if you don’t feel comfortable with this.”

“No, no,” Delsin murmured. “I need to tell you this. You need to know.” He took a deep breath, composing himself. “He saved me,” he finally said, voice cracking. “He saved me and I couldn’t save him. I mean, what kind of hero was I, not being able to save my own brother?”

“Delsin, Delsin... No, don’t you dare go into that train of thought. You are a good person, a hero. Don’t you ever forget that.” You gave him one last kiss. “I love you, Delsin Rowe - and don’t you forget it.”

“I love you too.”

***

Delsin was sitting at the table in the kitchen, you were helping Betty in the kitchen. Suddenly, your phone buzzed.

You peered down at the phone. On it read ‘Rae Winters’.

You glanced up at Betty. “Hey, are you okay if I take this?”

Betty chuckled. “Go ahead, you’ve already helped me enough. Unlike somebody I know.” She raised her voice at that part, obviously sending a message to your boyfriend.

“Aw, c’mon Betty!”

You left the two of them bantering as you accepted your friend’s call.

“Heyo,” you greeting Rae.

“I’m so sorry (Y/N). I never thought -”

You felt the blood run from your face as Rae talked. 

“No,” you whispered in a crackly voice. “ _No_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some evil part of me kinda wants to just leave you hanging like that. Don't worry, there will be a part 4, but still...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You need to talk to Rae about her ominous phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! I hope you enjoy it!

You stood in the hallway, staring at the wall in shock.

“(Y/N)?” Rae asked, her voice both worried and desperate. “Please, (Y/N), listen to me, you have to -”

You hung up. Tears began to fill up your eyes even as you tried to calm yourself down.

_She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She’s making this up,_ you tried to convince yourself. The problem was you couldn’t see her doing that. Rae was always honest and kind - she didn’t have any need to make up something to hurt you.

And that scared you even more.

You walked back to the kitchen on shaky legs. 

Delsin and Betty were casually chatting as you entered the room. Soon, it came to a stop when the two of them looked up and saw you.

“(Y/N)!” Delsin exclaimed, rushing to your side. “Are you okay? You’re super pale...” He placed a hand on your forehead, feeling for your temperature.

“Y-yeah,” you said, gently pushing his hand down. “I’m fine. I just got a little lightheaded.” _Understatement of the year_ _._ You had almost passed from your anxiety.

Betty frowned and she, too, was by your side. “Come on, (Y/N). Sit down. I’ll get you some tea.” There was no room for arguments. 

Delsin helped you to your seat. You avoided his gaze, but you could feel his concern. It permeated the room.

“Are you absolutely certain that you’re fine?” Delsin finally asked, lightly squeezing your arm. 

He leaned down, trying to look you in the eye. You just turned even further away from him so he couldn’t see your face. You were nervous that he would be able to tell what you were thinking just by looking you in the eye. It was ridiculous, but it didn’t stop you from worrying.

“Yes. I’m at 100%. Well, not 100... maybe a good 90.” You finally looked up at him, flashing him a weak smile.

Delsin frowned but he didn’t push.

Betty came out of the kitchen with three steaming mugs of tea. She plunked one in front of you and Delsin before she sat down. She cradled her own as she peered at you expectantly. 

After a long silence that was filled with almost palpable worry, Betty finally asked, “Well are you going to tell us what happened or aren’t you?”

You stared deep into your mug like it could give the explanation behind the phone call you had just gotten. “I d-don’t know.” You were starting to feel even more lightheaded. “I wish that I did. I really do.”

There was yet another long silence. Delsin opened his mouth to say something, but then seemed to decide against it. Instead, he just pulled you into one of his warm hugs.

“Dammit Delsin,” you whispered, chuckling slightly, “I’m the one who’s supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked. 

You pulled away before the two of you began to be that couple that cuddles in public. “Because,” you began, “we came here for _you_ and Reggie’s grave. Why should I be the one who gets the love and attention?”

“Oh, (Y/N)...” His hand gently drifted down to yours. He took them and lightly kissed them. “(Y/N), whatever happened really shook you. It happened just barely. I at least had a year to deal with my brother’s death.” He gave you a sweet smile.

Betty cleared her throat. She had an unreadable face as she looked at the two of you. “I think that you should rest here for the night. I can’t let the two of you leave at this time of night in good faith.”

You looked outside and was shocked by the darkness that pressed up against the window. You turned back to face Delsin, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, Delsin. I didn’t mean to keep us here for so long.”

Delsin snorted. “You act like I care. I love hanging out with my tribe!” He looked around, frowning. “Although... I kinda expected more of them around. Where is everybody, Betty?” He looked curious and confused.

Betty laughed, and just like that, the odd, unreadable look had left her grandmotherly face. You wondered if you had imagined it in the first place.

“They’re all celebrating the end of summer,” she reminded him. “You chose quite a day to come back.”

Delsin looked like he wanted to hit his head on the table. “How could I be so stupid?!” he lamented. He turned to you, sighing. “At the end of every summer, we all have a bonfire on the beach and tell stories about our ancestors and such. There’s normally booze and food there,” he explained.

“I’m sure that the food and drink are the only reasons you go,” you teased. It was weak, sure, but you didn’t want them to worry about you anymore.

“You know me too well.” Delsin gave you a small smile. You could read what he was hiding however - he was worried about you. 

_Dammit, Delsin,_  you thought. _stop worrying about me and worry about yourself for once._

“All right, I think I’m going to head down to the beach. You wanna come?” Delsin looked at you expectantly.

You blinked and met your boyfriend’s eyes. The anxiety from before swirled up in an overpowering wave. Sure, Betty liked you, but the rest of the tribe was a different story. “Uh...” You didn’t know what to say. He was looking forward to introducing you to everyone, for heaven’s sake! Why couldn’t you just say yes?

Luckily, Betty jumped in. “Don’t you think (Y/N) looks a little tired, dear? I wouldn’t want them to overexert themselves, now would I?”

Delsin looked appropriately ashamed. “You’re right. Are we staying in the guest room?”

“Oh, just go down to the beach,” Betty sighed. “ I know you want to. I’ll show it to (Y/N).”

He nodded. Before he left, he kissed you lightly on the forehead.

Betty laughed as she watched the young man practically sprint out the door. “He never was good at emotions. He was freaking out the entire time. Honestly, that boy...”

“Really?” you asked. “He’s _that_ bad at expressing emotions?” You had honestly never picked up on that. You supposed that you were pretty bad at emotions too, in your own right.

“Let’s just say that a therapist would be a good idea,” Betty deflected. At your confused look, she explained, “He’ll tell you in his own time. Now, let’s get you to that room, huh? You look like you’re about to pass out at any moment.”

***

That next day was as you had imagined it would be. It was a lot of names you wouldn’t be able to remember and a whole lot of people gushing about how you and Delsin were perfect for each other. However, on more than one occasion, a jealous looking girl would slip in a jibe about how you and Delsin wouldn’t last. All in all, it ended up being much better than you had expected.

Although you wouldn’t tell Delsin this, you were quite glad to be back home.

You threw your backpack on the couch before rushing to the bathroom. Soon you would return to your job at the theater. Now you were the assistant art designer, so there was a lot more stress involved. And you needed to talk to Rae.

_Dammit Rae_...

You wished you knew what that whole phone call was about. If she was telling the truth or not. If it was true that...

_Stop it._  You didn’t need that gnawing at you all day. Especially when you had an ultra stressful day at work lined up. You wanted to be as relaxed as possible for your talk with Rae.

You quickly took a shower and brushed your teeth. Then you basically did the electric slide out of the bathroom, snatching up your jacket before jamming it out of the house.

“Where’s the fire?” you heard somebody call after you.

You turned around to see a sleepy Delsin standing in the still-open door. You cursed at your absentmindedness.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized as you returned back to your front door. “I forgot - I have to get to work early.”

“Hey, hey,” Delsin said, holding up his hands. “You’re the one that has the energy-draining job. I just drain smoke and neon and -”

You kissed him on the lips. “Don’t rub it in my face,” you muttered as you drew away. “You get energy, I don’t. You’re lucky.”

Delsin had an unreadable expression on his face at that remark.

Once again, you cursed yourself. You were just everywhere this morning. You needed to remedy that before work - and before you waylaid Rae.

“I need to go,” you sighed, looking down at your watch sadly. You needed to cheer Delsin up before you left. “I wish I could just stay at home with you and cuddle and -”

“Go to work!” Delsin exclaimed, laughing. “You’re just putting it off at this point.”

“You got that right.” You said this with finger guns. Delsin looked like he regretted ever moving in with you.

“Leave!” Delsin pushed you out the door playfully.

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving!”

You walked down to the bus stop, giggling the entire way. Delsin made you feel bubbly and happy inside.

***

Work was just as you had expected it - harrowing, exhausting, but completely worth it in the end. You got to design two of the scenes in the next production, which made you feel important. Doubled with the left-over effects of your morning exchange with Delsin, you could almost say that you were in a good mood.

Almost.

You still had to talk to Rae. 

Stepping out into the cool night air, you took a deep breath. You had to emotionally prepare before you talked to Rae. The two of you agreed on meeting at her apartment that had once been near you had lived. Until you moved in with Delsin.

It took about ten minutes to walk from the theater to her apartment. The entire way there, you were thinking about how to talk to her delicately and still get answers. Rae would try to side-step the problem like no tomorrow if there was any wiggle room. 

Finally, you found yourself in front of Rae’s door. You threw one last glance behind you (partly because you were pretty nervous, partly because you couldn’t believe that you had walked up the stairs without noticing) before you plunged forward and knocked on the door.

The door swung open to your friend, who was wearing her signature dangly earring and thin glasses.

You took a deep breath in. “We need to talk,” you said in a low voice. “About your phone call.”

Rae’s eyes widened slightly, but she nodded and let you in.

“Throw your stuff on the couch. I’ll make tea and there are some cookies in the oven,” Rae called over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen.

You bounced on the balls of your feet nervously. You wished that you could just go straight into the conversation. But alas, that would never happen with Rae. She was always bent on having snacks and drinks before talking about anything remotely serious. It was just how she worked.

You drifted to the table after you lightly put down your bag. Soon you were joined by Rae and her steaming mugs of tea.

“Okay, you wanted to talk about the phone call.” Rae sounded completely serious - it was rather odd, compared to how she normally reacted.

“Yes.” You were anxious - had she been telling the truth or not? “I was just wondering - why did you say that? Are you trying to pull a prank on me? It is such a _low blow_  and I think that your scare tactics are rather tasteless.” You paused to take a deep breath, but barreled ahead, not allowing Rae to explain herself. “Honestly, I just wish that you would be _honest -”_

_“(Y/N)!”_ Rae exclaimed, cutting you off. “I was... I was telling the truth.” She looked wretched. “I needed to warn you. Because otherwise...” She trailed off.

You felt an angry blush fill your cheeks. “Are you kidding me?” you cried, standing up abruptly. “ _That_  was telling the truth? I can’t _believe_ you! Why are you being so cruel to me and Delsin? I’m happy - why can’t you understand that?”

“Sit down, (Y/N),” Rae responded with an equal level of frustration. “Let me explain -”

“ _Explain what?!”_  you demanded. 

“(Y/N), Delsin will die if you don’t listen to me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this ends with a rather unsatisfying exchange, but don't worry. It'll get better. And it'll be explained ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find out the truth about Delsin's future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though most people don't like this, hopefully I'll actually finish the series. I don't know if I should, but here we are.

You stared at your friend. "Y-you were telling the truth...?" The tears from before began to well up in your eyes. "B-but, how... how can you even know that, Rae?"  
  
Your friend stared at you, guilt painted on every plane of her face. "I'm sorry, (Y/N). I should've told you sooner, but I just didn't know how I'd bring it up."  
  
"Just spit it out," you told her, your eyes trained on her face for any expressions that would give away her lie - if there was one.  
  
Rae sucked in a shaky breath. "Okay," she began, "well, you know about Conduits, I take it?"  
  
You stared at her. "No," you replied sarcastically, "how could I? It's not like they're part of multiple news stories or they're on every magazine or I'm dating one." A thought occurred to you. "Wait a second... Are you...?"  
  
She looked down at the floor, blushing with shame.   
  
You fell back in your seat. "No way," you murmured in awe. "What's your power?"  
  
"Well, there are many different abilities. Most Conduits have powers involving material things - neon, digital, smoke, glass, electricity, etc, etc... but there's more Conduits, like me, who have the ability over more... abstract things." At your confused expression, Rae explained, "Most people don't know about us because we can generally hide our abilities."  
  
"Oh, get on with it!" you exclaimed, frustrated. Rae was dragging this out for way too long.  
  
"I have the ability over time."  
  
You blinked in surprise. "So you're like a time traveler."  
  
"Wha- no!" Rae looked almost disappointed by her inability to travel through time. "I can look into the future and into the past of certain people that are close to me. Which is how I know that Delsin is going to die."

You watched her anxiously. "Are you sure that your - should I call it a premonition? - was right? What if it was just some sort of dream?"  
  
Rae looked frustrated. "It wasn't a dream! It was backed up by your futures and Delsin's, so there's no possible way -"  
  
"Wait, hold up." You held up a finger to stop her. "Possible futures?"  
  
"Well, what did you think we were going to do? Defy all time and destiny?" Rae stared at you like you were crazy.

"I mean, that would've been pretty cool, I'm not going to lie." You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly. "Wait... if it was just a possible future, then why are you worrying so much? It probably won't end up happening." You were grasping for straws, obviously.  
  
Rae dropped her head to her hands, sighing. "Would you rather have the possibility of Delsin dying on your watch?" she asked, her voice muffled.  
  
You looked down at the ground, ashamed by your idiocy. "Good point," you conceded. "But why warn me now of all times?"  
  
"First of all, I didn't even know Delsin. Second of all, these things don't come by immediately. They show up slowly, in my sleep. I don't typically act on them unless I know they benefit somebody."  
  
You had a hazy memory of Rae ducking out from tech one day, right after she gave you the bucket full of glitter. She had been acting really weird that entire day. "The day I first met Delsin... you practically ran for the hills. Were you acting on one of those weird dream thingies?”  
  
Rae chuckled slightly. "Yeah. Trust me, your other futures were not nearly as happy as the one with Delsin."   
  
"Really?" you asked, fascinated. "Could you tell me what happened? Or what would have happened?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Rae looked uncertain.  
  
"Yes!" It must've seemed like you had forgotten what dire circumstances were looming above you and your boyfriend, but you were scared to think of the possibilities. You didn't like dealing with emotions.  
  
"Well, you would've broken your leg by falling off the stage and Delsin ended up with Fetch. He never even looked at you. In the end, you didn't even get the assistant art director gig."  
  
You blinked in surprise. "Really? Is that the only other future for me?"  
  
"No, no," Rae said as she shook her head. "That's just the happiest one without Delsin. If I were you, I would think about what I said earlier."  
  
And now you had come full circle to the topic that had called you here. You sighed. "I know, I know. How can I avoid it?" It felt like you were talking about something in a video game or some often-made mistake in one's job.  
  
"Keep him away from guns. And any old D.U.P. officers. Oh, and keep him from going off alone at night." She didn't elaborate past that.  
  
"Uh... what do you mean?"  
  
"Don't ask. You have to go now." Rae pulled you off of the couch, threw your stuff towards you, and pushed you out the door.

"Whoa, whoa, why?"  
  
"I..." Rae paused, trying to decide whether or not she should tell you. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry."  
  
You squinted at her. "Is this another one of your deadly prophesies that you refuse to explain until too late?"  
  
Rae looked embarrassed. "N-no. I'm having someone come over tonight and I don't want them to meet you."

You drew back, offended. "How dare you? I am not some shameful thing for you to hide from others!" You said this last part jokingly.  
  
"Yeah, but you've scared off both my girlfriends and my boyfriends multiple times before and I'm not going to take the chance that you'll scare off another."  
  
"Oh." You blushed. "Well, just for your information, Jared was a total asshole and Lynn didn't actually like you."  
  
" _Go home!"_  
  
With that, you were given one last push out the door. You whipped around. "Wait, Rae - !"  
  
The door was slammed in your face.  
  
You stared at it hopelessly. "What am I supposed to do?" you asked quietly. Once again, Rae gave you some weird piece of advice that you didn't quite understand.

But at least you knew one thing - you would never let Delsin get hurt.  
  
***  
  
You finally got the door to your home open after multiple attempts that involved screams of rage and a pair of scissors that you happened to have in your bag. You weren't exactly known for being good at getting any keys in your possession to open anything.  
  
You crashed into your home, loudly calling, "I'm back!"  
  
You were answered with silence. You peered around the corner. "Delsin?"  
  
Wandering into the living room, you found him curled up on the couch as video game music assailed your ears. Your hand flew up to your mouth as if you could take back your loudness. You hadn't seen Delsin sleep so soundly since... ever, actually. The two of you hadn't been dating for long, but you prided yourself on being to understand the man and you understood that the whole situation with his brother had been weighing on his mind. It was rather peaceful watching him lay there.  
  
You crept to your bedroom, where you snatched a warm blanket to spread over him.   
  
Returning to the living room, you found a groggy Delsin sitting up and rubbing his head in discomfort.  
  
"Aw, Delsin!" you complained. You had wanted to cuddle up to him as he slept, maybe sneak a couple pictures of him. You wanted to forget the entire conversation you had with Rae.  
  
But you couldn't do that. You had to protect him with that invaluable information that Rae had supplied.  
  
"What?" he slurred, running his hand through his straight black hair. He froze when he realized that his beanie had fallen off in his sleep. It was basically his protection blanket.

Now he was completely awake, tearing through the cushions, trying to find it.  
  
You giggled as he failed to find it. Your mocking seemed to aggravate him even more.  
  
"Where'd you put it?" He sounded suspicious.  
  
You casually strolled over to him. Smirking, you pulled it out from underneath the throw pillow that he'd been sleeping on. You turned and tossed it to him.  
  
"Don't say anything," he grumbled as he pulled it over his messy hair.  
  
"Okay, okay. I won't." There was a long, uncomfortable silence. It was the type of silence that didn't occur often in your relationship with Delsin. You couldn't shake that feeling of impending doom.

Delsin suddenly gave you a warm, reassuring hug.

You jumped slightly at the sudden physical contact. "H-hey, where's this coming from?" you asked, nervously chuckling. Could Delsin pick up on that feeling of doom? Was he just as scared? If he was, did he even know why he was scared?  
  
"You seemed tense," Delsin answered simply into your hair. "I've been worried about you lately." He pushed you back enough to meet your eyes while still holding you. "Tell me honestly, (Y/N)... are you okay?" When you opened your mouth to respond, Delsin elaborated, "And don't tell me that you're fine. I need you to be honest. Get it?"  
  
You stared into his eyes and saw complete love and understanding. You trusted him, true... but could you tell him of his death? No, Delsin would never believe you. From what Rae had told you, you gathered that most Conduits didn't recognize ones like Rae as actual Conduits.

"Delsin..." You took a deep breath in, trying to steady your nerves. You were going to tell him. You were actually going to tell him. "I -"  
  
A loud sound of glass shattering and shrapnel being thrown your way interrupted you.

Immediately, Delsin shielded you from the window to your left. You could feel his heart beating rapidly in your ear as he swore violently. Which he also did in your ear. You flinched at the loud sound of the swears.  
  
"Are you alright?" Delsin demanded once he had finished with his rather colorful curses, his voice betraying his anxiety.  
  
"I-i'm fine," you managed to stammer.  
  
"Okay, okay, good." He didn't sound like he thought it was good. He sounded scared. Not for himself or course, but for you. He gave the broken window a dark look. "I'll be back, (Y/N), I swear."  
  
You felt terror fill you at his words. _No, no!_ This was exactly what Rae had said to avoid!  
  
"Delsin, _no_!" you finally shouted. Your voice cracked in terror.  
  
Delsin (who had been opening the door angrily) turned back to face you. When he saw how scared you were, his face softened. He returned to your side. "It'll be okay, (Y/N). I promise." With that, he gave you one last forehead kiss before he left you standing in the room, alone.  
  
After a couple seconds of you standing there, shell-shocked, you ran to the door. 

"Wait, _Delsin!_ " you screamed after him. You knew he couldn't hear you - you could see from the trails of neon that he had left behind that he was long gone.  
  
You huffed out an irritated sigh. Of course he was going to be stupid enough to go running after the perpetrator - it was just how he worked. He was always so reckless...  
  
And that was going to get him killed.  
  
You snatched up your jacket and went running after him.  
  
***  
  
You bent over, hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath. Judging from the distance that you followed Delsin's trail, it meant that the person responsible for your window was either a Conduit or a Conduit accomplice.  
  
"Delsin, where do you go?" you wheezed, straightening. "Where did you go?"  
  
For the second time today, a loud sound assailed your ears. You winced at the sudden noise, your hands unconsciously flying up to your ears.   
  
It was the sound of police and ambulance sirens.

You followed the blinking lights around the corner and saw somebody being loaded up into the ambulance. The carnage was mostly neon residue, although there was quite a bit of scattered remains from nearby buildings.  
  
"Excuse me, could you move out of the way?" a voice said behind you. "This is a crime scene. I am so dreadfully sorry."  
  
You turned around to see two men holding a stretcher with a body on it. The man who had spoken look apologetic.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I never meant t-" The words got caught in your throat as you saw who was on the stretcher.  
  
It was Delsin.


End file.
